Some little folk we met along the way.
We weren't sure whether this was a child care centre, a hospital or an orphanage
but the little people looked like they were enjoying the ride!
Tree trimmer at work
Thomas Glover was a Scotsman who went to Nagasaki in 1859 after Japan was reopened to the West. He married a Japanese woman and lived in Japan until he passed away in 1911, aged 73. From the Glover Gardens brochure: “Through shipbuilding, coal mining and the tea trade, Glover contributed greatly to the modernization of Japan. He is known as the father of Japanese beer, and the Kirin Beer logo shares Glover’s famous moustache”.
View of Nagasaki from Glover Gardens
The Glover Gardens consist of a number of rather grand Western style houses built on the side of a hill, with a wonderful view of Nagasaki, built to accommodate the western business men and merchants of the time. There is an interesting elevator which takes visitors from the bottom of the hill up to the top. Rather than a vertical elevator, this one climbs up the side of the hill. We spent several hours exploring the buildings and learning about this part of Japanese history.
Thomas Glover's house
Pond in Glover Gardens
Puccini in Glover Gardens. Now we know where Puccini kept his Italian marbles!
We then went to visit Meganebashi (Spectacles Bridge). This stone bridge is apparently the oldest in Japan, having been built by a Chinese priest in 1634. We went for a stroll along the riverside and found the right spot to take photos.
Meganebashi (Spectacles Bridge)
Our next stop was the Tourist Office to find an English speaking person to ask where we could by the good quality oil that we want to use for John’s scooter to keep it in good running order. The staff made several phone calls for us and found a place that was easily accessible by tram, so off we went again. We felt better to have the oil on board as we’re off to Goto Islands at sparrow-fart tomorrow.
After that trek, we went to buy a gift for Mr Yamaguchi, the man on the Goto Islands who gave us so much help booking us in to accommodation. We settled on a bottle of whisky as we’ll be able to fit it in somewhere without squashing it.
After a short rest in the hotel, we went back to the eating district to find dinner. We somehow found ourselves wandering down a bit of a creepy alley, but of course we made it out again safely! We eventually settled on the same place we ate last night as it was the best value of anything we saw.
We abandoned our plan to go up on the cable car for the night view of Nagasaki as we are pretty tired and we saw great views from the Glover Gardens today. We’re very much looking forward to our time on the Goto Islands as we hope to lessen the pace and do some serious relaxing.
We are unsure of the Internet situation where we’re going, so don’t send out the search party. We’re due in Sasebo on Wednesday 12th October, so you’ll hear from us then if not before.
Bye for now!
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